I'm Listening
by strawnilla
Summary: Keith is blind and likes listening to audiobooks. Lance is the library's new storyteller and has a curious streak. Their meeting isn't accompanied by sparkles or magic, but what comes after feels rather close to it... don't you think?


DUMPS THIS HERE QUICKLY BC IM IN A HURRY OHOHOHOH

* * *

Lance swings the doors open.

Relief floods his system as the cool air from the library's air conditioning chills his skin, something he looks forward to every Monday and Thursday. A pleased sigh escapes his lips as he stands under the AC for a bit longer.

He can definitely get used to this. Screw the summer heat and all that.

Reluctantly stepping up to the reception and away from the cold blasts of air, he smiles wide when he spots his favourite librarian Shiro, just as he expected to.

Except, Shiro's not really alone.

The older man is talking to another guy with black hair, who's wearing a baggy red sweater over his body. His face is turned away from Lance, so he can't figure out if he knows him or not, but the brunet can tell that the two are deep in conversation.

Not wanting to be rude and interrupt, Lance leans against the far side of the counter while he waits. Shiro takes notice of him, and waves with a quick smile before turning back towards the black-haired stranger.

They talk some more, before Shiro makes a 'wait there' gesture at Lance and proceeds to lead the black-haired stranger deeper into the library by holding onto his shoulders.

When Shiro comes back, he smiles at Lance and says, "Sorry about that, he's an old friend."

Lance just shrugs. "It's cool."

They chat a bit, before Lance signs in and gets the book he'll be reading out loud today.

"Some kids are already waiting at the back," Shiro says. "They really like their new storyteller."

Lance winks. "Aww, did I charm them with my handsome good-looks?"

Shiro rolls his eyes. "Just get back there, Romeo."

The brunet finger guns Shiro, laughing when the man merely sighs defeatedly. Making his way to the reading area, he sees some familiar faces from the previous reading sessions that he's doing while he's on summer break from high school. They smile wide and wave excitedly at him.

He returns the gesture with a smile of his own, and as he sits on his chair to wait for more people, he notices someone in red sitting in the window nook with his back to Lance and headphones over his ears.

Lance stares.

It's the same guy who was with Shiro earlier, he's sure of it. It's hard to forget a mullet in this day and age.

He wonders why the stranger chose to sit there instead of a table, or come to a library at all if all he's going to do is listen to music. But Lance doesn't think much of it. As the clock strikes and all of the kids plus their parents at the back look at him expectantly, Lance grins and flips his book open.

"Once upon a time…!"

* * *

For some reason, he can't get the stranger in the red sweater out of his mind once he's back home.

He still goes on about his days as usual of course, but the image of that stranger seems to always linger in the recesses of his thoughts.

It's honestly a little distracting.

* * *

On Thursday, he's here again.

The same window, the same back-facing-Lance position, the same headphones, and the same mullet. The only difference is that he's wearing a purple sweater today.

Lance purses his lips, but he ignores the stranger and starts his reading.

(He can't help noticing the other giggling whenever Lance dramatically changes his voice to suit the characters talking.)

* * *

That weekend, Lance is tempted to go to the library just to see if the stranger will be there.

He manages to console himself to wait.

The fact that his elder brother uses the car the entire time probably helps things.

* * *

On Monday, Lance sees him in a baby blue sweater, and this time he notices that the stranger has a kind of folded stick resting in his lap. Coupled with the sunglasses on his eyes since day one, the brunet's suspicions and curiosity rises.

As Lance's gaze wanders to him every time he can spare a glance, he can't help noticing how the other's head seems tilted towards him, as if he's listening.

(The stranger looks cute in baby blue.)

* * *

The image of that stranger in his baby blue sweater pops up in Lance's mind so often, that it causes him to hit his head on a door while walking.

Or to spill his milk for breakfast.

Or to slip on his niblings' toys.

He needs serious help.

* * *

By the next Thursday, he's a little at his limit.

"So uh… I noticed your friend comes here often." Lance says, pressing his lips together as he leans against the reception and trying to play it casual.

Shiro, who is typing on the computer, raises an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah. He says he likes it here." The man replies, clicking on something.

At least he doesn't sound defensive.

Lance gulps. He taps his fingers against the counter. "I can't help noticing…"

Shiro, without looking up, deadpans, "If you're about to ask, then yes, he's blind."

"Oh. Okay. Okay. Cool. I mean, not cool, of course, I just meant—!"

Lance shuts his mouth immediately when Shiro starts laughing.

That wasn't what he was expecting.

Shiro leans over the other side of the reception to take a book from a stack. There's a glint in the man's eyes as he slides over 'Little Red Riding Hood' towards Lance.

"His name's Keith. You can talk to him after you finish. He won't bite, I promise." Shiro says.

Lance stares.

So, Keith, huh?

He picks up the book slowly and points at it, making eye contact with Shiro. "Was that biting thing supposed to be a reference or…?"

Shiro flushes. He looks more alarmed than he should be for making an unintentional simple pun. "Accidental. But I mean it."

Lance just laughs. For some reason, he feels a little lighter. "I'll take your word for it."

After he finishes reading 'Little Red Riding Hood' to the group and bids them goodbye, he lingers around the area with his heart pumping inside his chest, trying to figure out what to say.

He whispers _Keith_ to test the name inside his mouth, noticing that the mentioned teen is wearing his red sweater today. How many sweaters does he have anyways? And who wears them in the summer?

Lance clears his throat and taps the other's shoulder.

Keith yelps and jumps five feet into the air.

Figuratively, of course.

"Shit! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Lance says, picking up the other's fallen belongings, which consists of a phone and the foldable stick.

"Wha… You're the storytelling guy...?" Keith says hesitantly, eyebrows scrunched together. He seems to have recovered from the shock, but looks no less confused from having someone talk to him.

Lance shakes his own awe away at the fact that Keith recognizes his voice almost immediately. He finds the other's hands to return his things and tries not to think about how warm they are.

Instead he grins. "That's me! Sorry I startled you earlier. I just noticed you come here a lot and, uh, I kinda wanted to talk?"

Keith places the items on his lap, caressing them with his fingers as if to check if they're really his. Head tilted to the side, still looking a bit baffled, he asks, "But… why?"

Lance feels a jab in his chest not for himself.

He sits down in the window nook too, grateful it's wide and cushioned and very much comfortable, even with two growing teens in it. He smiles. "Because I want to get to know you better. Is that okay?"

A tint of pink appears on Keith's cheeks. He lowers his head, fiddling with his phone. "I guess…? But I don't think I'm all that interesting."

Lance thinks about how he's seen him talk so comfortably and excitedly with Shiro. Quietly he hopes their conversations can be like that too. "Don't worry about that. My name's Lance!"

"Keith." The raven tilts his head again. "Where are you by the way?"

There's a pause. Then, in a bold moment, Lance places his hand over Keith's. "Right in front of you."

The raven blushes bright red.

Lance keeps up the conversation after that, asking Keith why he likes coming to the library so much _("It's cold and calm.")_ , has he always been blind _("Born this way.")_ , does he go to school _("Altea High." "No way. Same!")_ , and the kind of music he likes to listen to _("Whatever's on the radio. But I'm keen on dance.")_.

All the while, he keeps his hands on Keith's.

The other at first seems awkward and answers curtly to Lance's questions. But he gradually grows animated when he starts talking about some of the books he loves.

"And then the ending, _God_ , I can't even describe it. It was just so… so perfect!" Keith says, a shine in his face. His other hand doesn't stop moving around, punctuating every word he says.

Lance's heart swells.

"Sounds like I've got to pick this book up someday. What did you say the title was again?"

"I didn't. It's ' _Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe'_ by Benjamin Alire Sáenz. But uh, I don't know where you can find a copy… I only listened to the audiobook…"

"I'll make do. Is that what you do here by the way? Listen to audiobooks?" Lance asks. His thumb draws circles on the palm of Keith's hand.

Keith flushes. "I… sometimes…?"

Lance laughs. "What do you mean sometimes?"

Keith turns his head away, reverting back to his awkward self. Almost like he's shy to admit it, he says, "I mean, on days when you're reading books for the kids, that's what I listen to. You, I mean." He gulps. "I listen to you."

Lance feels his heart stutter. "Do you... like listening to me?"

Keith nods his head, slowly.

Lance's grin feels like it can light up an entire city.

But before he can say anything else, Shiro walks up to them. He looks at their joint hands and raises his eyebrows at Lance.

The brunet feels a little guilty, but he doesn't let go. He gives Shiro a sheepish smile instead, which Shiro just shakes his head at.

There's a hint of an amused smile on his face though, so Lance thinks he's in the clear.

 _Yes._

"Keith?" Shiro prods. "I'm on break now, so I can drive you home."

Keith seems to deflate, and if Lance isn't imagining things, his fingers curl deeper into Lance's hand. For a second Lance hopes he'll stay, but then Keith gets up on shaky legs and unfolds his stick.

"It was nice talking to you Lance, but it looks like it's time for me to leave." Keith says, letting Shiro hold him by the shoulders.

"The pleasure's all mine!" Lance tries to keep the disappointment out of his words. "You'll come back on Monday, right?"

There's a smile in Keith's voice as he says, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

Lance's eyes follow the two all the way to Shiro's car, the window seat giving him more than enough of a view. He knows Keith can't see him. But he gives the boy in the red sweater a little wave goodbye anyways.

It's only when Lance is inside his own room and lying on top of his bed does he realize…

He's been wearing his shirt with the wolf head print at the front this entire time.

* * *

Lance spends his entire weekend thinking about Keith and his hands and his hair and the way his lips turn up when he smiles.

His want to see him again as soon as possible is _agonizing._

* * *

When he sees Keith in a forest green sweater sitting in his usual spot by the window on Monday, Lance can't stop the skip in his step nor the smile from his face.

It makes waiting through the entire weekend worth it.

He quickly grabs the book he's reading today from Shiro (who's smirking at him but he is _not_ going to acknowledge that) and goes over to Keith. He still has time to spare before he has to start, things are fine.

"Hey Keith." Lance's smile bleeds into his voice, and he thinks Keith catches it because the other teen perks up instantly.

"Hey Lance." Keith says with a smile of his own. He has one leg propped up, a hand resting on his knee, and Lance so badly wants to sit down beside him and hold that hand again.

"I'm reading, uh," he takes a quick look at the book, "The Little Mermaid?" This better be the Disney version. He's not sure the kids will like the whole 'I won't kill the prince I love so much so I'll turn into sea foam instead' business. "You'll stay until the end right?"

"Of course I will." Keith says, eyebrows raised but an amused smile on his face. He seems much more comfortable with Lance now than last Thursday and the brunet does an inner fistpump at that.

"Great!" Lance knows Keith will stay. But hearing confirmation puts him at ease. "I'll talk to you after, okay?"

"Okay."

The book _is_ the Disney version, and Lance is pleasantly surprised when he comes across lyrics of songs from the movie slithered in. Being the person that he is, of course he remembers how to sing all of it (why wouldn't he? He's only watched 'The Little Mermaid' like, a couple hundred times) and manages to get some of the kids plus their parents to sing along too.

Which, in retrospect, probably wasn't such a good idea since they're in a library. Thank God it's Shiro at the front.

He plops himself down in front of Keith after returning the book to Shiro.

"Had a good weekend?" Lance asks.

He watches the way the sunlight blankets Keith, how his black hair reflects the golden light and how warm and comfortable he looks soaking all of it in.

Keith looks like he belongs right here.

Looking down at Keith's hands, Lance wonders if it's okay for him to hold them. Sure, he held onto them the last time they talked, but it was in the spur of the moment and he's not sure what Keith thinks of it exactly. For all he knows, Keith might not have liked it and was too embarrassed to say so.

"I passed the time listening to audiobooks, so I'd say it was a pretty good weekend." Keith says, adjusting his posture. Their legs brush. Lance tries not to think about it too much.

The brunet is about to say something, before Keith unknowingly cuts him off.

"I can't believe you're not only a decent storyteller, but you're a pretty decent singer too." Keith says, his smile turning into a smirk.

Lance flushes but he smirks just the same. "What do you mean _decent_? I mean, I know I'm no Beyoncé, but I'm definitely more than just _decent_!"

"Oh, I don't know," Keith says, shrugging. "You _can_ sing, but…"

"But what?" Lance prods. He has his eyebrows raised, his smirk still intact. "It's not like _you_ can sing any better!"

Keith huffs. He breaks into a laugh. "Okay, fine, you win. You sing like an angel."

"Aw, you didn't have to hold back the sarcastic tone for me!"

Keith kicks his leg. Or at least tries to. The tip of his shoe grazes Lance's knee, and Lance draws back from surprise.

"I'm being serious." There's a bit of a pout on Keith's lips and Lance's heart does a funny dance in his chest. "Your voice is soothing when you sing the slow songs."

Lance's cheeks burn up at the compliment. Even if Keith can't see him, he still hides his face behind his hands, unable to stop a little squeal of embarrassment.

"Thank… you? I, uh, I found that book you talked about by the way!" Lance exclaims in a desperate need of a topic change, ignoring the loud beatings of his heart. He picks up his bag and pulls out said book, crisp and new from the bookstore.

Keith perks up, his back straightening and his features lifting. He tilts his head to the side, his right ear vaguely facing Lance. "Really? Did you read it yet?"

Lance takes this moment to hold one of Keith's hands gently and places it onto the book's cover. Keith blushes at the touch, but he doesn't pull away. His fingers trail the embossed lettering and the smooth paperback, almost like he's mapping the shape inside his mind.

"Not yet," Lance says, "I was actually thinking about reading it out to you."

Keith looks slightly embarrassed, but mostly awed. "I… You'd do that?"

Lance nods, but reminds himself that Keith is blind almost right after. "I'd love to, if you don't mind listening to the story again."

"Of course I don't!" Keith says. He runs a shaky hand through his mullet, tucking some strands away. "Can we... start now…?" he asks, sheepish.

Lance feels like he's melting, and it's not from the summer heat.

Getting up, he asks Keith if it's okay for him to adjust their positions in the window nook. Head tilted in confusion, Keith says the okay and lets Lance guide him.

By the time Lance is done, they both have their backs leaning against the window, with Lance's left shoulder against Keith's right. Their legs dangle over the edge. The brunet can't help noticing his legs look longer than the other's.

"Lance…?" Keith prods. He shifts a little and unknowingly presses his body closer into Lance's. The brunet blushes.

He clears his throat. "This way you can hear me better," he says in what is almost a whisper. "Then I won't disturb anyone else in the library."

Keith, upon realizing how close they are now, blushes and nods.

He doesn't tell Keith their window nook in the storytelling area is too far from the other tables to be a bother to anyone.

Adjusting himself a little, Lance opens the book, and starts to read.

" _The Different Rules of Summer. The problem with my life was that it was someone else's idea..."_

He reads the rest out for Keith in a hushed and gentle voice, so unlike his usual energetic drive when his audience is a group of kids. He feels Keith relax against him, getting lost in the words and the story, and Lance too can't help relaxing, their bodies leaning on each other for support.

It's oddly intimate for two people who have just met, but it feels… just right.

By the time he's done with the first two chapters, most of the library patrons are gone, and Keith has been too quiet for a while.

Lance pokes him in the side. "Keith…"

The raven shifts a little, his sunglasses askew, but does nothing else.

Oh gosh.

He's really asleep.

 _Cute._

Lance, as carefully as he can, places the book to the side. He finally notices the ache in his shoulder from where Keith has his head against, and wonders just how long he's really been sleeping.

The brunet rests his head against Keith's, the raven's hair tickling his cheek. He takes a deep breath. Honestly, he has no idea what this is between them. It's new, strange, exciting, and a little confusing. Not to mention kind of intimidating too.

He intertwines his hand with Keith's. It's warm and soft, and Lance's heart swells.

The brunet closes his eyes to nap as well. A few minutes of shuteye wouldn't hurt.

He doesn't fall asleep, and it's a while later before he feels his companion stir and shift. Small groans come from the curled up body beside him, and Lance opens his eyes to watch Keith stretch his legs.

"Keith…?" Lance tries, softly.

The raven hums. His fingers tighten their hold on Lance's. Neither pull away.

"Yeah…?"

"Is it okay... if I date you?"

Keith straightens up so fast, his head hits the window frame.

"Ow!"

"Shoot—are you okay?! I'm sorry, that was a stupid question. The dating one and the okay one because, uh, obviously you're not okay. And you probably don't see me that way." Lance's hands reach into Keith's hair and massages the sore spot. "Sorry."

Keith's face is red and turned away. "I…" He gulps. "It's… not that I don't see you that way…" His face turns an even brighter red if that's possible. Lance's fingers in his hair is probably isn't helping things, but he can't help it. It's so soft.

Lance's own cheeks turn pink when he notices Keith's implication about his feelings for him.

"It's just…" Keith continues. "Do you really want to date someone like me?"

The brunet is about to ask him what he means, before he realizes. Oh.

 _Do you really want to date a blind person?_

Lance's hands move from the raven's hair to his face, his fingers trailing his skin gently. Keith is still, frozen in place. He can almost hear the loud beatings of the other's heart. Or is that his own?

"I don't know if this will work," Lance says honestly. "But I'm willing to give it a shot."

"But… why?" Keith sounds so unsure of himself it's almost heartbreaking.

"Because I like you. You're fun to talk to, interesting," Lance smiles. "And the fact that you're cute is a nice bonus."

Keith's blushing again, and with the bashful smile, the sight sends an arrow through Lance's heart.

"...Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay, I'll date you."

Lance is about to whoop in celebration when Keith continues. "On one condition…"

Eyebrows raised, Lance asks. "And that is…?"

Keith smirks. "You'll have to read my favourite books out loud to me."

Lance laughs. Gently, he presses his lips against Keith's forehead and holds his hands tight. The smile on their faces can light up the entire world with how bright they are.

"It's a deal!"

* * *

thank you for reading, leave a review if you liked it! (insert hearts)


End file.
